Super heroes
3 December 2018
在美国文化中，超级英雄层出不穷，并不是所有超级英雄都能风靡美国，变成家喻户晓、人人爱戴的人物。超人、蜘蛛侠、蝙蝠侠这些最受欢迎的超级英雄身上都寄托着美国人的英雄梦，他们既是凡人，也是超人；他们也许孤僻古怪，却是正义的化身。时代在变，超级英雄的故事也在变，但唯一不变的，是美国人心中根深蒂固的英雄情结。
今天随东方君一起来了解一下吧。
Since Superman and Batman were brought to life in the late 1930s, superheroes have dug their way into pop culture and all forms of entertainment. Even more so, they have deeply rooted themselves in the American psyche.
自20世纪30年代末超人和蝙蝠侠诞生以来，超级英雄不仅一路走进美国人的流行文化和各种形式的娱乐生活，更在美国人的心中深深地扎了根。
Mythology pervades[i]) virtually all cultures. The Greeks had Zeus and Odysseus; the Norse had Odin and Baldur; and the Irish had Lug Lámfada and the Mórrígan. Apart from the Native Americans’ religions, however, America has never had its own mythos[ii]). Characters such as Johnny Appleseed[iii]) and Briar Rabbit[iv]) emerged in folklore, but Johnny Appleseed wasn’t exactly leveling[v]) buildings and taking down Nazis to plant his apple trees.
[i] pervade [pəˈveɪd] vt. 遍及于；流行于
[ii] mythos [ˈmaɪθɒs] n. 神话
[iii] Johnny Appleseed: 约翰·阿普尔锡德(1774~1845)，美国一位拓荒者。他是一位苗木培育工，将苹果引进美国多个州并大面积种植，在生前因其慷慨善良的行事方式以及在保护环境方面的伟大贡献而成为美国的传奇人物之一。
[iv] Briar Rabbit: 布雷尔兔，美国南方黑人民间故事中的一只兔子。它凭借自己的机智狡诈在与强者的对峙中取胜。
[v] level [ˈlevl] vt. 使成为平地，摧毁
几乎所有国家的文化中都有神话故事。希腊人有宙斯和奥德修斯，挪威人有奥丁和巴尔迪，爱尔兰人有长臂鲁夫和摩莉甘。然而，除了印第安人的宗教神话，美国从未有过自己的神话故事。虽然有像约翰·阿普尔锡德和布雷尔兔这样的人物在民间故事中流传，但约翰·阿普尔锡德并没有真的为了种植苹果树而去夷平房屋、打倒纳粹军队。
It seems we created our own Odysseus and Hercules with Batman and Superman. Like their fictional identities, they also appeared at a time when we needed them. Captain America, for example, appeared during World War II, a time when Americans needed a figure to rally[i]) behind as they took on[ii]) Nazis. Captain America also came at a time we perceive as more sincere and patriotic[iii]), and many critics and film lovers praised the 2011 film for retaining these authentic[iv]) qualities.
[i] rally [ˈræli] vi. 召集，团结
[ii] take on: 同……较量
[iii] patriotic [ˌpeɪtriˈɒtɪk] adj. 爱国的
[iv] authentic [ɔːˈθentɪk] adj. 真的，真正的
而通过蝙蝠侠和超人，美国人似乎创造了自己的奥德修斯和赫拉克勒斯。这些人物不仅纯属虚构，而且是在某一时刻因民众的需要应运而生的。例如，美国队长诞生于第二次世界大战期间，当时美国正在抗击纳粹分子，正需一位人物来团结后方。美国队长还出现在一个我们看来更为真诚、更具爱国气息的时代，2011年上映的电影《美国队长》保留了这些真正的品质，为此得到了众多影评人和影迷的赞誉。
Looking at our superheroes also tells us about ourselves; all mythological heroes embody[i]) what the culture sees as its virtues. For the Greeks, it was intelligence, strength and honor. InAmerica, among the most honored qualities is self-determination. It’s the ability to watch your parents die in front of you or escape an exploding planet and not need years of therapy. Underneath the silly costumes, American mythical heroes are strong, rugged[ii]), independent and very manly. Fittingly, their villains range from brainy mad scientists like Lex Luthor[iii]) to the effete[iv]) trickster[v]) Loki[vi]).
[i] embody [ɪmˈbɒdi] vt. 表现，象征
[ii] rugged [ˈrʌɡɪd] adj. (指性格)粗鲁而正直的；坚定的
[iii] Lex Luthor: 莱克斯·卢瑟，超人的大敌，也是DC漫画世界中其他超级英雄的主要敌人。
[iv] effete [ɪˈfiːt] adj. 软弱的
[v] trickster [ˈtrɪkstə(r)] n. 骗子，无赖
[vi] Loki: 洛基，Marvel漫画中的大反派。他是雷神的弟弟，心术不正，因觊觎地球而常与地球上的超级英雄对抗，在漫画中曾以女性的形象出现过。
看我们的这些超级英雄实际上也是在看美国人自己，因为所有的神话英雄无不体现着各国文化所珍视的美德。对希腊人来说，这些美德是智慧、力量和荣誉。对美国人来说，他们最尊崇的品质之一便是独立自主。正因为有独立自主的能力，你才不需要花多年的时间去治疗因目睹双亲死在眼前或是从一个爆炸的星球逃脱而造成的心灵创伤。在那些怪诞滑稽的装束之下，美国的超级英雄强大、坚毅、自立，拥有十足的男子气概。相应地，他们面对的恶棍从像莱克斯·卢瑟那样头脑聪明但心术不正的科学家到像洛基那样软弱无能的骗子，各种都有。
At the same time, just appearing in a comic book does not make one a mythical superhero. Eric from The Crow, later filmed in 1994 with the late Brandon Lee, is invincible[i]) and determined to get the bad guys. But few would consider him a superhero; he acts out of personal vengeance, not justice—he’s just too dark. To look at some comic book characters objectively, V from Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta is a crazy terrorist, Frank Castle as the Punisher is an unrelenting[ii]) murderer and Eric is a manic[iii]) depressive zombie. Though they might have heroic qualities, they don’t fall in line with the “All-American Way”.
[i] invincible [ɪnˈvɪnsəbl] adj. 不可战胜的
[ii] unrelenting [ˌʌnrɪˈlentɪŋ] adj. 无情的
[iii] manic [ˈmænɪk] adj. 疯狂的
同时，一个人物只是出现在漫画书中并不意味着他就能成为超级英雄。漫画《乌鸦》(后于1994年拍成电影)中的埃里克 (电影中由李小龙的儿子李国豪饰演)所向披靡，一心惩恶，但很少有人会把他看作超级英雄，因为他的行为纯属个人复仇，并非为了正义。他的形象太过阴暗了。客观地审视一些漫画书中的人物就会发现，阿兰·摩尔创作的《V字仇杀队》里的“V”只是个疯狂的恐怖分子，“惩罚者”法兰克·卡索只是个无情的杀手，而埃里克只是个狂躁抑郁的怪人。他们或许也具备一些英雄人物的特质，但却不属于“真正的美国英雄”。
America had its thirst for superhero films revived with 2000’s surprise hit X-Men, although we have had superheroes on screen since the early 1940s. Our heroes have changed with the times, however. Batman was campy[i]) in the Adam West 1966 film. In Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins, he is brooding[ii]) and tortured, but he is still a force of good against evil, even if his antics[iii]) attract many of the crazies to Gotham. It is a characterization that seems more realistic to the more cynical modern audiences of today. At the same time, he is still a fighter for justice and protecting the common people—just more obviously affected by his parents’ brutal death and his battles with psychotic[iv]) killers.
[i] campy [ˈkæmpɪ] adj. (由于过分做作、古怪、别扭、陈腐、过时等而被认为)滑稽可笑的
[ii] brooding [ˈbruːdɪŋ] adj. 沉思的；忧思的
[iii] antics [ˈæntɪks] n. (旨在哗众取宠的)滑稽动作，夸张的噱头，古怪的姿势
[iv] psychotic [saɪˈkɒtɪk] adj. 精神病的，精神错乱的
虽然在20世纪40年代初超级英雄就已现身银幕，但让美国人重新燃起超级英雄电影兴趣的却是2000年令人惊奇的热门电影《X战警》。不过，我们的超级英雄已随时代变迁而发生了改变。1966年亚当·韦斯特扮演的那个蝙蝠侠迂腐得可笑；2005年克里斯托弗·诺兰执导的《蝙蝠侠：侠影之谜》里的那个蝙蝠侠却变得忧郁苦闷，不过仍然代表着打击邪恶势力的正义力量，虽然他的古怪行为把很多疯子都引到了哥谭市。对于如今更为愤世嫉俗的现代观众来说，这一人物形象似乎更接近现实。而且，蝙蝠侠仍然在为公平正义而战，保护着平民百姓，只不过父母残忍被害以及他与变态杀手的较量给他带来的阴影更加明显罢了。
文：Mimi · Honeycutt
发布于：北京